Kealakehe Elementary School

Kealakehe Elementary School is a PK–5 public school at 74-5118 Kealakaa St in Kailua Kona, on the west coast of Hawaii Island, serving 924 students — roughly double the enrollment of the next-largest school in its local comparison group and more than six times the size of the smallest. It operates under the Hawaii Department of Education, a single statewide district, so its "district rank 1 of 1" label has no comparative meaning.

In 2025-2026 the school ranked 199th of 203 Hawaii schools (2nd percentile, 0 stars), and over ten years of rank history it has never left the bottom ~15%, most often sitting in the bottom 5%. Its 2025-2026 proficiency rates — 24% in ELA, 15% in math, and 19% in science — are the lowest in the peer group by wide margins, trailing the peer average by roughly 28–30 points in each subject. Math is the sharpest concern: proficiency fell from about 23% to 15% in a single year, while ELA held roughly steady near 24%. Kahakai Elementary School is the cleanest like-for-like comparison — 3.76 miles away, similar size, nearly identical per-student spending and student–teacher ratio — yet it scores about 20 points higher in ELA and 33 points higher in math.

Chronic absenteeism is the highest in the comparison group at 43%, versus 44% the prior year and roughly 14 points above the peer average. About 68% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch — high, but not the highest locally: Honaunau Elementary School serves 93.24% low-income students and still posts 55% ELA and 50% math. Kealakehe's student–teacher ratio (14.5) and per-student spending ($15,425, from 2018-2019 and now stale) are mid-pack, so it is not distinctly under-resourced relative to nearby schools. Students from low-income families and English language learners rank near the bottom statewide compared with their peers at other Hawaii schools. Attendance and math are the most measurable, actionable targets.